Davey quizzed on independence
THE Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Davey, made his first visit to Shetland this Tuesday.
The Liberal Democrat MP made a 30-minute stop at Brae High School for a Q&A and debate in the morning, prior to visiting the Total gas plant construction site.
At the school, Davey, alongside local MP Alistair Carmichael, was quizzed by keen pupils on key matters such as independence, lowering the voting age and the future of his party after the coalition.
When initially asked about Scottish independence, Mr Davey, laughing slightly, said: “I don’t think so.” Going into more detail, he said: “Scotland is stronger in the UK and the UK is stronger with Scotland in it. We’re a family in the UK, why break this apart?”
Davey also believes there are more than economic reasons not to break up the union – events such as the Olympics demonstrate this.
Despite gloomy economic forecasts, Mr Davey is still supportive of his party and its actions – even with being behind UKIP in some opinion polls.
“Our economy isn’t growing as fast as we hoped, but the whole world is growing slower than expected. We’re not mortgaging the future [making cuts rather than borrowing more]. There were tough decisions, but we’re not a majority – I wish we were – we’re in a coalition.
“I joined this party in 1989 for its values. I didn’t expect to be elected, nor to be in the cabinet. I’m proud my party has made these tough decisions,” he said.
Following the session, the secretary of state added: “It’s great to be here and great to see a community so strong. It’s lovely to see values Alistair, myself and others have fought for here.”
Iwan McBride
Shetland News — free to read
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